


Family of Choice and Chance

by ImpassiveMoon



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Feels, Fix-It, Mary Sue, Maybe - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-22 07:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9590006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImpassiveMoon/pseuds/ImpassiveMoon
Summary: You can't change the past. But, you can always strive towards a better future. Someone reaches out and actually takes a long look at Loki and his motivations. And understanding makes all the difference.A self indulgent fic, set right smack in the middle of "The Avengers". The Power Rangers exist in the same universe as the MCU and lend their 20+ years experience hero-ing to the self-titled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow nostalgia and procrastination turned into “let's write a Mary Sue fic.” Don't ask how/why because I can’t even explain this to myself. Like HONESTLY though this is so stereotypical. I can’t even believe that I'm alowing it off the deep, dark recesses of my Google Drive. So get ready for my self indulgent, self insert-ish fic that plays fast and loose with canon and barely has a present, let alone a future (plot). 
> 
> Tbqh I have a minimal recollection of the Power Ranger seasons that I’ve seen, and I’m missing quite a few besides. This is probably going to be more of a framing device to explore certain characters and themes from both IPs that I find interesting.
> 
> *Edit* I also headcanon a lot that might not be your thing, ymmv. One of those things is Rita being a mother figure to Tommy courtesy of the Darker Shades series by UnromanticPoetess. 
> 
> Set during "The Avengers" so about 20 years since MMPR began and 8 since the end of DT.

Coffee, wallet, phone, bag, keys. Theo Oliver ran through her mental checklist as she headed out into the bustling New York streets. Cars were honking, people waiting in line at Starbucks, and even more rushing past on the streets outside, an average New York morning. Stuck next to a wailing baby and their poor mother on the subway, she made a mental note to call her twin brother Tommy later, to see how he, Hailey his fiancee, and their soon-to-be child were doing. She finally booked it the last few blocks to her destination, Stark tower, flashing her id badge to the porter, and skidding into the elevator, almost crashing into the people already inside.

“Cutting it a bit close, Oliver?” asked Jack  Chopra, one of Theo’s coworkers. To be honest, Theo was a little shocked to see Jack in an elevator this late in the morning. He was a goody goody, who gets into work early, and was ready to clock out at normal times. Sports jacket, tie, brown hair always styled neatly, he was the picture of someone who worked for a Fortune 500 company. Meanwhile, Theo still dressed like she was in undergrad. Casual green blouse, leggings and a jacket, and black hair thrown up into a messy a ponytail.

“You should have seen me back in high school.” She laughed. “Hell, you should see my brother now. This is nothing.” The doors opened and the duo exited. Glancing at a nearby clock Theo finished, “Two minutes to spare, Chopra. I’m still early.”

He teased, “By the skin of your teeth.” They continued into the office, walking side by side, as their desks were right next to each other.

“There is no safety factor for being on time to work. Especially when we don’t have a meeting scheduled first thing. It’s a binary. Late or on time. Besides who’s talking? You were in that elevator, same as me.”

“Ah ha, but this is where we differ. I was here early. I just left to grab this.” Jack held up a breakfast sandwich, smiling triumphantly.

Theo’s stomach took this opportunity to remind her, that in her haste to get to work on time, she had been forced to skip breakfast. She sighed to herself, and tried to comfort herself with the fact that she at least had time to make coffee this morning. And could grab an early lunch later. Jack chuckled at her crestfallen expression and tossed an orange at Theo’s face. “Figured you were running late when I saw that half cup of coffee from last night still at your desk. Caffeine does not count as a food group, Oliver.”

She paused and took a step back in mock horror. “Blasphemy. Lies and slander. How dare you call yourself an engineer without acknowledging our lifeblood. and the most important food group of all.”

“Laugh it up, Oliver. We’ll see who has the last laugh when you have a heart attack one of these days.” They had reached their desks, and low and behold, the coffee cup Jack mentioned was sitting on some papers leftover from yesterday.

“Well here’s to my inevitable heart attack.” Theo said, sitting down and booting up her computer. “Maybe if I do have one we can all go home early today.”

Little did they know that the work day was indeed ending early today. But not due to any caffeine related incidents. Oh, if only it was that mundane.


	2. Random Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Ok, so I know that this is really OC based, and trust me I'm not always the biggest fan of 'em either. At the very least, the chapters seem to be getting longer, and I have this whole backstory mapped out for Theo. And I will hopefully write that out too. I can't promise this will ever get finished, it's an impulse write, but if it ever seems like I'm not going to continue, I'll post the rest of my thoughts/outline. Thanks to everyone who reads this, and if you ever want to be fandom trash with me, feel free to message ;D

Meals at Stark tower were an interesting affair. Every few floors was a little break room, equipped with a fridge, microwave, and vending machine. On the ground floor was the main cafeteria where most employees ate. There was no set lunch time, but from about noon to 2 the lines always took ages. Of course, some people ordered out. But there was no need, as unlike many other cafeterias, Stark tower had quality food and decent prices.

Theo had lost track of time, absorbed in her work as she had been. And despite what she planned that morning, she had missed her opportunity at an early lunch. She looked over to Jack’s desk, seeing it empty, and figured he had gone down earlier to grab a bite. Checking her computer, she groaned at the time, “12:30. Peak times for lunch,”. She figured it wasn’t worth it to spend half of her lunch break on a line, and the rest looking for somewhere to sit. Promising herself she’d actually eat a healthy, balanced  diet tomorrow, Theo headed down the stairs to the break room.

She bought a granola bar and eyed the instant ramen in the vending machine. Theo couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “Just like back in school.” Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she noted the white streaks in the black. “Or maybe not so much. How time flies.” She smiled as she thought back to high school, the battles, the amazement and the worry. Her thoughts became bittersweet at the thought of the original team, many of which she hadn’t been in close contact with. Reminded about her desire to check in on her twin , Theo got her phone.

Hey bro how’s it going?

Theo? That you?

Honestly

Yes it’s me, who’d you think it was?

Idk, Rita maybe

REALLY?!?

Ok swiss cheese, yes I’m mom

…

Uncalled for

And HEY I have my PhD

Sorry, Dr. Swiss cheese

I kid ;P

Speaking of which, how’s yours doing?

Which one?

Actually all of ‘em

It’s still weird being on the opposite side of the country

Former students doing good

Connor’s camp is going well

Same with Trent ’n Kira’s careers

Ethan actually might be moving your way

Really?

It’ll be nice to see him more often

How about you kid-to be

And Hailey

Doing well =D

But Hailey is definitely getting stir crazy

Holed up in the dino/bat cave?

… yes

It’s only a few more weeks!

Thank god

But she’s definitely bored

I’m a bit afraid for our electronics

Lol,

I hate to cut this short, but my lunch is almost over

Same, back to hormone crazy brats

Hahaha, ur fault for being a HS teacher

Ttyl

Bye

Theo smiled to herself and tucked her phone back into her pocket. It was good to hear from Tommy. Especially since he was firmly rooted in Reefside, on the other side of the country. Powers willing he would be staying for a while to come. After all he was starting a family soon, and the Powers knew that Hailey would kill him if he ran off on Ranger business any time soon. She chuckled to herself imagining Tommy as the first male pink Ranger. Knowing him, the idea was equal parts humorous and possible.

It had been quiet though, at least for most of the original teams. Of course, there were still big bads out there. But, new teams always answered the call, and for that she was glad. Because there would always be some threat against the Earth. But as long as the Power existed, there would always be people to defend the planet.

Cleaning up her wrappers, Theo headed back to the stairs, intent on finishing up the last few hours of work so she could head home. Just as she began to climb the stairs, an alarm began to ring. JARVIS’ voice sounded from the intercom, “Please remain calm and evacuate the building immediately. It appears that the Tower is being invaded. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Please, exit to the ground floor and take shelter in the nearest subway tunnel.”

A wry smile twisted Theo’s lips. “Jinxed it.” She quickly bounded up the stairs, thankfully not running into any evacuees. “And here I was, thinking about how peaceful it’s been. Reminiscing about the good old days,” Theo mused, pushing herself faster. Her office was towards the top of the Tower, not that she often took advantage of the view. The height, coupled with the time of day, meant that few people were this high up. “Few, but not empty.” she reminded herself, throwing her body into her office space, catching a glimpse of Jack’s brown hair.

What then caught a greater portion of attention though was the gray, metallic looking humanoids harassing Jack, brandishing some combination of gun and staff. “Hey! Leave him alone!” She prepared herself for a fight. Adrenaline pumped through her veins like it hasn’t in years. “Looks like this was a good day for stretchy pants.” Theo quipped as the aliens moved en masse towards the loud and noncompliant human.

“Get out of here!” she yelled at Jack, who was in shock, still at his desk. “Take the stairs behind you and go. NOW!” Jack finally managed to snap himself out of it, incidentally at the same time that Theo began truly fighting these Putty knockoffs. He ran to the closest stairs, thankfully away from the aliens, who decided to fight Theo instead of pursue him.

Theo barely had time to note the bang of the exit door, as she was surrounded by aliens. Surprisingly. unlike every other minion she had fought before, these creatures seemed at least somewhat intelligent. Displaying an unseemly amount of coordination and tactics, they didn’t completely surround her. Instead they were slowly herding her into a cubical. Aliens with staffs in front, with those with energy guns in the back.

She ducked under the swipe of one staff, grabbing a gun-like barrel protruding from the front. Theo used it to swing the wielder into their neighbor. Somehow, she managed to keep hold of the staff as the alien’s grip loosened upon impact with their fellow. Theo reversed her grip and brandished her new weapon. And a small voice in the back of her head wished that this was _her_ staff  But there was no time for idle thoughts. As soon as those two went down, the lines shifted positions, the staff wielders hanging back. The gun toting aliens became the new front line. Theo saw that this all happen without a single sound or gesture. “Must be some kind of telepathy or hive mind.” she thought to herself. “Which also kinda explains the tactics too.”

The fight continued, and with this new insight Theo could see how the group was able to change tactics as the battle progressed. “They’re learning.” she realized. “And the longer this fight goes on the more they learn about m-” Theo’s line of thought was broken when she was forced to jump over a staff hurled at her like a javelin. She managed to throw herself back, out of it’s direct line of attack but unfortunately was confined by the cubicle. The staff arced through the air, and released a single energy beam which grazed Theo’s side, forcing her to her knees in pain. “Sloppy.” she berated herself. “Am I really this out of practice?” The aliens took advantage of her injury, ripping her stolen weapon out of her hands, and wrenching her arms behind her back.

Theo grimaced in pain as she was marched to a stairwell. Her side was screaming. The position her arms were forced in contorted her torso at such an angle where it wrenched the wound open more. But she was stubborn enough to not let a noise of complaint leave her lips. The only sound she made was her labored breathing.

They forced her up the stairs and as they continued to ascend, Theo weighed her options. Technically throwing herself off the railings was an option. But that was an incredibly risky endeavor. She was already crippled with pain from her side injury, and movement like that would definitely make it worse. Theo couldn’t guarantee she’d be able to get a firm grip on a railing below to stop her fall. She’d probably end up dislocating one if not both shoulders even if she was lucky to grab a railing. All the while, Theo would be a sitting duck for the aliens to shoot her down. No, it was best to continue upwards with her captors and see just what or who was trying to invade Earth this time.


End file.
